Orune (NU)

Nuragic sacred spring temple, set against the rocky wall of sa Costa 'e Sa Binza, a short walk from the village of Orune, in the Nuoro area.

Su Tempiesu was an important Nuragic sacred spring temple dedicated to the cult of water. Its double-pitched roof — built with isodomic blocks of uniform height and thickness — is still well preserved and makes it a unique architecture in Sardinia. During the early Iron Age the spring reached its peak, witnessed by numerous votive offerings: swords, jewellery, pins, rings and amber, which also document contacts with the Etruscan world. Towards the end of the Iron Age a landslide buried the temple, sealing its abandonment.

The temple stands against the rocky wall of sa Costa 'e Sa Binza, a short distance from the village of Orune, in the heart of Barbagia. In the surrounding area there are other Nuragic monuments: the complex Santa Lulla nuraghe, which dominates the valley of Marreri and the Rio Isalle, and the Nunnale nuraghe, built on a granitic outcrop. The proximity of these sites suggests an integrated system of cults, activities and control of the territory.